Celebrating those on a front lines of a Ebola conflict this 4th of July

It is Jul 4th, and Stephen Gire and Nathan Yozwiak from my group are watching America’s holiday in Sierra Leone, bringing reserve and assist to a partners fighting a widespread of Ebola pathogen in their nation (Image 1). My thoughts are with them, with a patients and their families, and with all of a people on a front line of this conflict opposite one of a many dangerous pathogens amiability has ever seen.

Despite so most press coverage on a Ebola conflict in West Africa, small has been told of a unusual bravery, scapegoat and of a truly superb work of a group and women fighting this lethal disease. This is as brilliant, dedicated, and prepared a group as we will find anywhere on a planet. And while they do need a assistance and resources as tellurian partners fighting a pathogen that is ‘out of control’, they also merit a regard for their superb and drastic effort.

Over a blogs to come we wish to tell their stories. To begin, we wish to prominence usually a few institutions and individuals:

The Kenema Government Hospital (KGH) in Sierra Leone, one of a usually centers in a universe that has diagnosis and diagnosis on-site for Bio-safety Level 4 (BL-4) viruses. The group there has been combatting another harmful BL-4 disease, Lassa fever, for a final 40 years, commencement good before a Civil War. They have grown clinical and high-tech investigate comforts and practices to diagnose, treat, and investigate BL-4 agents (Image 2).

Members of a group from Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and a US, who all jumped into movement when a conflict of Ebola was initial reported in West Africa, environment adult evidence ability on site, good before a conflict reached Sierra Leone.

Augustine Goba and a evidence group during KGH. Augustine, a local Sierra Leonean and shining scientist, diagnosed a initial box of Ebola in Sierra Leone on May 25, (Image 3) regulating an exam designed by Dr. Kristian Andersen on a group (used alongside standard-of-care assays) permitting scientists during KGH to locate a conflict during a inception. Members of Augustine’s team, operative in partnership with a WHO, USAMRIID, and Metabiota, have diagnosed 211 Ebola cases in nation and tested hundreds more.

Lansanna Kanneh and a well-developed overdo team that led a evident response. There is no improved overdo group in a world, and we have witnessed initial palm how they remarkably rivet villages via a nation and teach a populations about Lassa pathogen and ways to fight a widespread (Image 4). They are operative now to strech people via Sierra Leone to teach them about a harmful new pathogen Ebola in their country.

The people of Sierra Leone. While good regard should be given to a overdo team, a people they are operative with merit regard too. Their turn of rendezvous in overdo efforts is distinct anything we have seen in a United States. They are extraordinary and warm, and deeply meddlesome in training (Image 5). we had a good happening of being welcomed into these villages where we common a tent with a shining ecologist Dr. Lina Moses (Image 6); Lina has been operative in Sierra Leone for many years and has been on site given a widespread pennyless to support efforts.

Dr. Humarr Kahn and a clinical group during KGH. These intrepid and untiring people have been operative around a time given May 25th, converting spaces to residence ~50 Ebola patients during a time, and risking their possess lives during each theatre to assistance others.

The Sierra Leone Ministry of Health and Sanitation and supervision leadership, that has shown well-developed support during each stage. we am privately beholden to Professor Sahr Gevao and Dr. Brima Kargbo, who upheld a efforts in nation and abroad. Thanks to their care we were means to fast method pathogen from a initial 14 Ebola cases and 35 suspected cases during high abyss and have already done this accessible to a tellurian community. The longest partial of this routine was promulgation a samples to a US, and with a support of a NIH and World Bank, and a care of Dr. Christian Happi of Nigeria, we will be shortly changeable this bid to West Africa.

There are many some-more heroes that can be named here, though we wish to share their stories with we all soon.

Image 1. Nathan Yozwiak and Stephen Gire with trunks packaged in credentials for their outing to Sierra LeoneImage 2. The high-tech investigate lab during Kenema Government Hospital where they have been customarily diagnosing and characterizing another Bio-safety turn 4 virus, Lassa virus, and are now diagnosing Ebola.Image 3. Augustine Goba, executive of a Kenema Government Hospital evidence lab, in a routine of behaving a Ebola evidence test.Image 4. Lansanneh Kanneh of a overdo group heading an educational speak on Lassa heat in encampment in Sierra Leone.Image 5. The extraordinary comfortable and accessible people of Sierra Leone who acquire a overdo group and us into their villages for overdo and preparation on these devasting viruses.

Image 6. Lina Moses and we in a tent, staying overnight in a encampment in Sierra Leone with a overdo team.